High Performance Airborne 16 mm Laser Film Recorder for TV-Type Sensors.

The work covered by the report was intended primarily to explore the feasibility of eventual design of a precision pictorial recorder utilizing a marked departure from past unsatisfactory techniques. The recording means is to utilize laser light on 16 mm photographic film from 21 field interlaced video data at 60 fields per second and at frame structures of 525 and 875 lines with possible extension to 1029 lines. The new concept explored in this work, avoids the technique of rapid film pulldown between successive interlaced fields, since this has proven to be unsatisfactory in past instrumentation. Instead, a new concept of continuous film motion with faster formation and flyback provided by an electromechanical deflecting device was explored. Such a deflecting device was studied analytically, then designed, and a breadboard unit fabricated and testeD5 In addition to the electromechanical deflector, the authors also explored an associated scan motor design and an optical system configuration to ascertain the spatial compatibility of all system components. The study has shown such a system approach to be feasible and recommends continuation toward an airborne prototype design. Author